Former England international Carlton Cole has rejoined West Ham United on a three-month deal, after proving his fitness to Sam Allardyce.
The 30-year-old became a free agent during the summer when his contract at Upton Park expired, but despite holding talks with a number of other clubs, he failed to find another employer. He returned to the Hammers last month to train, with the view to earning a new deal if he was able to prove to Allardyce that he was able to regain full fitness.
Cole has evidently done just that, after it was confirmed on Monday afternoon that he has been handed a three-month contract, which could be extended in January. Having already made almost 250 first team appearances for the club, the much-travelled forward, who began his career with Chelsea and has also turned out for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic and Aston Villa, can’t wait to pull on the famous jersey again.
“I’m happy to be back and can’t wait to start my season off,” he told West Ham TV. “I’ve been working hard on strength and conditioning coach Mathew Monte-Colombo in the gym and he’s been really hands-on to get me up to standard to train with the team and get my match fitness up as quickly as possible. I feel fit and raring to go and it’s time to start knocking on the manager’s door to get some games under my belt.”
Despite their impressive 3-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur prior to the international break, goals have been hard to come by for West Ham. Their previous six matches before the trip to White Hart Lane saw them score just six times, so Cole may fancy his chances of making an impact during his second coming. Whether Allardyce decides to thrown him in when Manchester City visit on Saturday, though, remains to be seen.
